The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 5

Day 5:
Reason to Breathe, Rebecca Donovan

Now, this one... it's gloriously written, and talks about something very, very important - and it does it in such a painfully raw, beautiful way, it's impossible not to fall in love with Emma, and to plead with the literary gods for her to be able to escape her hell.
BUT it's not for the faint of heart.
And I don't say that to be funny. If domestic abuse is something that you can't stomach (of course, it bothers and makes all of us uncomfortable, but if it's truly something you cannot read about) then stay away from these books.
Which is sad, but understandable.
I can promise you that there is a happy ending... at the end of the third book. And if you're getting this as a present for someone, be sure to get #1 and #2 (Barely Breathing) as a package deal, because the cliffhanger at the end of Reason to Breathe is brutal.

Barely Breathing

Title: Barely Breathing (The Breathing Series #2)
Author: Rebecca Donovan
Genre: YA
Rating: 500/5
Cover: 7/10

Okay, first of all, this book, and the one before it, Reason to Breathe... they are not for the faint of heart. Especially not Reason to Breathe. Yes, it's YA. Look out for f-bombs, and if you have problems with physical abuse, then go look somewhere else. Realise I said physical, not sexual. Big difference here. Now we're over the nitty-gritty stuff, let's get down to the good bit...

Holy wow. I'm still trembling a little. That's what these books do to me.
While Reason to Breathe was intense on an entirely different level - and a most disturbing one, too - Barely Breathing has left me so emotionally exhausted, it's like I was the one wrecking my life one little decision at a time. And the thing is, I can't even blame Emma. Her life has been hell, and the poor girl has never been able to trust anyone, not ever. So now that she has to, she balks. And while she's incredibly mature with most things, she's still just a seventeen year old girl trying to figure out her life. So yeah, while I yelled, cursed and screamed a lot in frustration at some of the stuff she pulled, I can see where she was coming from.
The best thing about these books is how utterly real they feel. Like in one moment, you're crying your eyes out, and in the next, you just can't stop giggling. I'm sure more than one person on the Metro thought I was delusional today, I couldn't keep that goofy grin off my face at times. I'm used to it by now, though. And that's what life is like, really - ups and downs, the goods and the bads, and then the horribles.
I'd say more, but from here, it's likely to spiral into gushing and/or moaning about the wait for the next one, so I'll take my leave by saying: READ IT! (or them, rather)